Leah Berard (born November 29, 1978) is a

USA Rugby USA Rugby (officially the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugb ...

national panel referee. She currently serves as a referee in the

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competition. She has refereed women's international rugby matches and worked as an assistant referee for men's international matches.

Early life

Berard was born in

Woodruff, Wisconsin Woodruff ( oj, Daashkiboojiganing) is a town in Oneida County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,055 at the 2010 census. The census-designated place of Woodruff is located in the town. Geography According to the United States Cens ...

and moved to Stevens Point, WI when she was four years old. She lived there until she graduated from high school, going on to pursue a BA in both English and Spanish at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. She played rugby throughout college at inside center and was president of her university's club team her junior and senior years. During her time as an undergrad she also played for the WI U-23 select side team. After college, Berard moved to Minneapolis and played with the Minnesota Valkyries Women's Rugby Team, but was forced to resign due to neck injuries. Leah stepped away from rugby for a few years to attend graduate school at the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

, getting an MA in English; it was only until after graduate school that Leah picked up the whistle and came back to rugby as a referee.

Career

Berard has steadily worked her way up through the ranks of the Midwest, achieving her Territorial Grade through refereeing Midwest Men’s Division 1 Rugby. Berard is now focused on elevating herself within the international level. In December 2011, her first international appointment, she traveled to

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, South Africa to serve as an Assistant Referee for the

IRB Sevens World Series The World Rugby Men's Sevens Series is an annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby featuring national sevens teams. Organised for the first time in the 1999–2000 season as the IRB World Sevens Series, the com ...

. This successful appearance helped secure her a spot in the first IRB sanctioned Women's Sevens Challenge Cup in Hong Kong in March 2012. She also earned the opportunity to officiate the Cup Final – Australia vs. England. Berard was named as an IRB Women’s Sevens Panel member in August 2013, her second season on the panel. She officiated the Women’s Rugby Sevens World Cup Final in Russia in June 2013. In 2016, Berard was selected to referee matches in the newly-formed

competition.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berard, Leah 1978 births Living people American rugby union referees American female rugby union players University of Wisconsin–La Crosse alumni University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) alumni Female rugby union referees People from Woodruff, Wisconsin American women referees and umpires 21st-century American women